james miller



tait@ ttttts zttrut @ffies JAMES MILLER AND JAMES MILLER, i dit., BECKHAM, ENGLAND. I Letters Patent' No. 71,038, dated November 19, 1867.

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To ALL WHOM 1T MAY OONOERN: I y

Beit known that we, JAMES MIIiLnnfnnd JAMES MILLnn the younger, of 3 Lindo street,l Cemetery Road, Peckham, in the county of Surrcy,'iu Great Britain, latc of 5 Park Road, North Bow, in the county of Middlesex, have-invented a new and improved Method inthe Manufacture-ot' Elastic. Gussets or Springs, bythe insertion of vulcanized India-rubber thread or cord between two pieces of leather-woven fabric or Aother material, and for which a provhisional protection, dated the 81st day of December, 1866, 'and Letters Patent sealed the 18th of June, 1867, No. 8,451, have been granted to us in theUnited Kingdom ofl Great Britain, and atpatent also in France and Belgium; and we do hereby declarethat thet'ollowingis a full and exact description thereof.

Our invention has t'or its object improvements in the manufacture of elasticlgussets, suitable foruse in boots, stays, gloves, and other purposes, as also"fcr thegback of waisteoats or trowsers.

In the manufacture of elastic web for gussetsit is-.usual to weave the vulcanized India-rubber threads o cords into the web fabric in theprocess of'manufacture, tlie India-rubber threads or cords forming a portion of the warp ot' the fabric, or, where the web isA of leather or other-materials, the India-rubber threads or cords are placed or inserted between the two materials,` which are' attach-ed together by means of cement, and commonly known as oorrugatedor shirred web, and in'both `cases is madeginito a web of long lengths, and each'l line of Indiarubber'ithread or cord is a separate piece, and the web eut through ,the shape required forfthe gusset. `New, according to our invention, each gussetis made separate by'itselt', and we secure the vulcanized India-rubber thread or cord between twolieces of fabric, leather, or other material, by first stitching several rows with a sewing machine or by hand, thcstitching running in parallel lin'es or rows, as shown in the drawing marked A, 'and passing through the two pieces of fabric, leather, or other materials. .We` then proceed to pass or insert the India-rubber thread or cord between the two. fabrics or materials vin the top row, (refer drawing AQ secured by the stitching, 'and in place of each line of India-rubber thread or cord being in a separate piece, we insert it in one length, the India-rubber thread or cord, at the end of eachl traverse across the gusset, being -turned round and caused to return in the next row, parallel to itself, and so ou from row to row; thus the liabilityr of the India rubber to slip andwork out ot' the-gussetis much reduced., When gusscts made in'this manner are worked' into boots, or' other articles, the stitching by which they are secured or sewn in is passed through a margin, whiehwe make for that purpose on each side of the gusset, as shown in the .drawing A, marked 1, and they have not to be stitchedfthrough the India-rubber threads or cords, asis the case with other web gussets.

In order that our inventlon may be more fully understood, .and readily carried into eiect, we will describe.'

the manner in which weprefer to proceed.

We rst cutlthematerial, leather, silk, cotton, or any other woven fabric, and the lining,to the size required vfor the gusset when extended, and for lleaving the required margin; we then turnover the top edge and haste' or tack `it\ down to the lining; we then commenceto stitch, with a. sewing machine, a series of rows in parallel lines transversely across-thc gusset, the stitching passing through the two materials, commencing at the top, and so on, from row to` row, until the whole .of the gusset is stitched. The distance between the rows ofstitches will depend upon'the thickncss'of the Inda-rubber thread to be inserted.; about eight orten rows to the inch is usually a convenient distance. We then pass between thetwo materials, into every space or cavitybetween the rows of stitches,=wires or needles of a length somewhat longer than the width of the gusset, and ofthe size of the cavity; the guss`ctjis then ready to be contracted or dra-wn up to the size required. To do this, we employ a machine made with two jaws, ina similar manner tor:I vise, one jawbeing tiited and the other movable, so that it maybe slid backwards or forwards to or from the fixed jaw by means of a screw'passingthrough the centre. 'lhejaws'are by preference offwood, and are made lat on their upper surface. When the jaws are closed, a row of teeth or pins of wire is driven into the-upper surface ofeach jaw, the rows of teeth being made to correspond with the contour of the sides of the gussetL When this is done, the movable jaw ismove'd away from the fixed jaw, in order .to put in the gusset for the purpose of contracting or erimping-it(the gusset still having v the wires or needles in every cavity or row.) 'We then lay the gusset on the machine or vise byp'lacing each wire or needle between two of the teeth or pins on each jawfthe teeth or pins'being at the same distance apart g from oneanother as the wires o1` needles passing through the gusset, the gusset being in this manner ixed. 'We i then'serew upthe machine or vise, to bring the movable jaw up to the iixedjaw; this eontractsor draws up the gusset to the size required. We now take the gusset out of the machine in its contracted `form, with the wires or needles still in, as previously mentioned, and it is new ready for the process of filling with the India-rubber thread or cord. To do this, we place it as Vit is on a table o r stand, and turn down over it a small plate of steel, hinged to the table, and by pressing down this plate the gusset is held securely. We then withdraw the needles or wires, and insert with a bodkin or needle, in the same cavity or tunnel made by the wires, the thread-or strand of India rubber, which is in one length. We then commence at the top cavity to insert the India-rubber thread o'r cord, and follow back in the next row or cavity, causing it` to return parallel t0` itself', and so on the same, I

from row to row, until the `whole ot the cavities are filled with the India rubber. We'then pull back the margin that is left as large as required, and tack it down with an ordinary needle, and the gusset is ready for use. The bodkin or needle we prefer to employ for inserting the India-rubber thread is composed of a wire, haring a hole bored longitudinally into one ofits ends. A short length ot' the end of the wire is thus formed into a tube. A portion of the side of the bodkin.is cutaway to form a side openingr in the rear end of this tube. "lhis short tube at the end of the bodkin is for the piirposc of holding the end ot' the thread of India rubber.` To insert the end of the thread into the tube, afloop of cotton is passedthrough the side opening above mentioned, and caused to project out from `the end of the bodkin; the end-ot' the Indiaerubbcr thread is then passed through the loop and the loop is drawn back, by which means the cnd'of .theIndia-rubber thread is drawn into the tube, and as the tube will be internally of less diameter Vthan the India-rubber thread, the end of the thread will be held securely. lVhen it is desired to form a strong margin to the sides of the gusset, (before withdrawing the needles or wires from the tubes 'or spaces formed between the'rows of stitching,) we press down on to the points at each end of the needles or wires a strip ot' canvas. The points being caused to pass through the middle of the strips, the strips are then pressed down on to the points to bringthcm close up to the edge of the gusset, und afterwards the wires are removed a-n'd the thread or strand of India rubber inserted, as above described, the India rubber being passed' through the holcsl'ormcd by the wires through the canvas, yas well as being passed through the spaces or tubes formed across the 'gusset. W'h'en this iscomplctcd, the canras is doubled over, and the margin or edge of the gusset will be composed of two thicknesses of canvas in addition to the fabric andlining of which the gusset is composed. InA the waistcoat-back we do not insert a gusset, but make a gusset or spring 0f the materials of which the back is composed (as shown inthe'drawing marked B B.) By the same principle we stitchthrough the back and back-lining of the two materials rows of stitching by the sewing machine or by hand, running in parallel lines, and insert the India-rubber thread or cord between the. two materials, commencing at the top row, andcausing it to return in the next row parallel to itself, and so on from row to row. The advautageof. this is, that it obviates the use of a strap and buckle, and gives more ease and comfort. We apply also our invention of' the gusset, made by the same principle as herein described, to gloves, as shown in the drawing marked c.

What we claim by our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Elastic gussets or springs, formed by stitching through two fabrics several rowsvin parallel lines, and inserting between the same India-rubber thread or cord in one continuons length, substantially as herein described and for the purposes specified.

JAMES MILLER,` JAMES MILLER, JR.

Witnesses:

THOMAS LAKE, T. L. WARNER,

}Both of No. 1T @racen/rurali. Street, London. 

